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INTRODUCTION | PAGE 1, 2, Quiz
Hamlet
Introduction
Hamlet is one of Shakespeare's greatest plays. It tells the story of a young prince charged with avenging his father's murder. The complexity of Hamlet's character, the compelling themes and rich symbolism embedded in the play, and the profound beauty of Shakespeare's language have captivated audiences and engrossed scholars for centuries.
Hamlet the character has been described as intellectual, emotional, sensitive, introspective, morbid, weak-willed, indecisive, powerful, tender, lost, fearful, grief-stricken, mad, melancholy, and misogynist. The story of Hamlet is rich in universal dilemmas. It explores the thirst for power, relationships between fathers and sons, relationships between mothers and sons, love relationships, friendship, honor, revenge, betrayal, corruption, fate, madness, the conflict between thought and action, and the discrepancy between appearance and reality.
Readers of Hamlet encounter a wealth of meanings, folded and layered together in ways that elicit uncommon insights, associations, and curiosities. The universal human problems are not so much problems to be solved as unresolvable dilemmas that define human nature and human existence.
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Recommended Reading
The following is recommended reading for this OpenUW course:
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What You'll Learn
When you have completed this OpenUW course, you will be familiar with:
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The story of Hamlet
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The major themes in Hamlet
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Hamlet's character
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The moral dilemmas that confront Hamlet
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Shakespeare's language
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INTRODUCTION | PAGE 1, 2, Quiz
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